The Preparedness Program aims to be a resource for community preparedness planning for disasters and public health emergencies such as extreme weather, bioterrorism, and outbreaks of disease.

Here are some preparedness resources to help you be informed, plan ahead, and prepare for emergency situations.

General Preparedness

Don't be caught off guard! The following websites have useful information to help you protect yourself and your family in the event of a disaster.

• Ready.gov: Plan Ahead for Disasters
• Federal Emergency Management Agency
• American Red Cross
• ReadyNC.org

To learn more about preparing pets for disasters, click here. For the Spanish version, click here.

One way of being prepared is to have an Emergency Disaster Kit assembled with enough supplies for each member of your family to last for a minimum of 3 days. The following websites provide important information on preparing an Emergency Disaster Kit.

• Chatham County READY Chatham
• FEMA: Assemble an Emergency Kit
• ReadyNC: Plan and Prepare

Extreme Weather

Extreme weather events, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, and severe thunderstorms, can threaten Chatham County residents' health and homes. The following websites can help you prepare for extreme weather and monitor current weather conditions around you.

• National Weather Service | NOAA
• The Weather Channel

Bioterrorism

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a bioterrorism attack is "the deliberate release of viruses, bacteria, or other germs (agents) used to cause illness or death in people, animals, or plants." For more information about bioterrorism and protective measures you can take, visit the following websites.

•  Bioterrorism | CDC
•  Public Health Preparedness & Response | NCDHHS

General Outbreak Information

Contagious diseases such as colds, the flu, whooping cough, bacterial meningitis, mumps, measles, rubella, smallpox, or chicken pox, can be spread by coughs, sneezes, handshakes, or touching surfaces that are contaminated with tiny droplets from a person's nose or mouth. (Source: www.readync.org)

To report a communicable disease, call 919-542-8220 Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM, or after hours/weekends call 919-796-8151.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services offers excellent tips on how to prevent contagious diseases from spreading.

2021 COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic                                                                                        2014 CCPHD Flu Clinic
                  

Resources from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services: 

• N.C. Public Health
• Public Health and Preparedness Response
• North Carolina's Pandemic Flu Plan
• Epidemiology in North Carolina
• Smallpox

Resources from the United States Department of Health and Human Services

• Pandemicflu.gov 
• How to Stay Healthy

Chatham County Emergency Resources

Multiple departments in the Chatham County government are responsible for emergency response. They include:

• Chatham County Emergency Management
• Chatham County Sheriff's Office
• Chatham County Fire Marshal

 For news releases from the Chatham County Public Health Department, click here.